Water Bedfellows

Unlikely allies dive into the Portland water wars. The siege starts on Mount Tabor.

Dawn Smallman lives in a cozy three-bedroom house in the
shadow of Mount Tabor. The documentary filmmaker has fought for more
than a decade to preserve the forested volcano cone and the scenic
drinking-water reservoirs in the park.

So you might think
Smallman would recoil at the prospect of Occupy Portland protesters
pitching tents in her beloved park July 12.

Nope.

Smallman,
a member of the Mount Tabor Neighborhood Association board, sees an
invasion by Occupy protesters—a “Camp Cascadia” in opposition to
Portland’s plans to drain the Mount Tabor reservoirs and replace them
with underground tanks—as a chance to launch a cannonball at City Hall.

“The times that we
live in sometimes necessitate political theater,” says Smallman. “I
welcome anyone who’s got a legitimate complaint.”

The Mount Tabor
occupation is the latest example of how growing grievances over the
city’s Water Bureau projects—especially its $279.7 million reservoir
replacement plan—have created unlikely political alliances, from big
businesses to left-wing activists.

The city says it will no longer fight federal requirements to drain the Tabor reservoirs and replace them with tanksunder construction at Powell and Kelly buttes.

But opponents say
that project is a waste of money, won’t make Portlanders’ water safer,
and will only put millions in the pockets of private contractors.

The
debate may be cascading toward a May 2014 ballot measure that would
wrest control of the city’s water system from City Hall and create a new
public utility to run it.

“The supporters of this measure are going to be similar to the lounge scene in Star Wars,” says John DiLorenzo, who is representing utility ratepayers in a lawsuit against the city.

“You’ve got some
Occupy people and some neighborhood association activists who disagree
with a federal ruling,” says City Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees
the Water Bureau. “I understand the frustration, but I think it’s
misplaced.”

You’ll hear more about the Battle of Mount Tabor. WW offers a map to the various camps.

The City

The players: Commissioner Nick Fish. Mayor Charlie Hales
handed Fish the unwanted assignment of supervising the Water Bureau last
month, citing Fish’s legal mind. Fish is now responsible for finishing
the reservoir burial and capping program started by former Commissioner
Randy Leonard.

What they want: To move on—and keep building. Hales and
Fish say there’s no use continuing the seven years of asking for a
reprieve from federal drinking-water guidelines. The Water Bureau began
building a 50 million-gallon tank inside Powell Butte in 2009, and a 25
million-gallon tank in Kelly Butte in 2012.

What they want: A waiver from federal requirements that
Portland must close its open reservoirs in Washington Park and on Mount
Tabor. They see this as a giveaway to private contractors such as CH2M
Hill, leading to an eventual corporate takeover of the city’s water
supply.

The Neighbors

The players: The oldest foes of touching the Mount Tabor
reservoirs—the neighborhood association—and a group called Friends of
the Reservoirs, led by activist Floy Jones. They’re loud and
persistent—some say obnoxious. They have been unwilling to compromise
and now—rebuffed by City Hall—are on the brink of losing.

What they want: For the city to ask Oregon’s congressional delegation to secure relieffrom federal rules. They want to preserve the beauty of the Mount Tabor pools.

Litigious Ratepayers

The players:Alaska Seaplanes President Kent Craford leads
Citizens for Water Accountability, Trust and Reform, whose $126.9
million lawsuit against the city alleges misuse of utility ratepayer
dollars. Craford won’t say who’s funding the suit, but his previous
backers have included companies paying some of the city’s largest water
and sewer bills.

What they want: Cheaper water and political control. The
suit seeks to recover ratepayer money spent on such diversions as the
Portland Loo, public funding of political campaigns and buying the River
View Cemetery. Craford wants voters to approve a people’s utility
district—taking water decisions away from City Hall and giving them to
an independently elected utility board.

"In the low usage areas, we found that our vehicles sit idle four times longer, ultimately affecting overall vehicle availability for the Portland membership base, as well as parking for the Portland community."

News
East Portland can't catch a break.Just this week KGW had a story called, "Diverse, non-cool East Por... More